Can you convert a liquid termiticide customer of 40 years to the Sentricon® System with Always Active™ technology? Yes, says Chase Hazelwood of Go-Forth Pest & Lawn in High Point, N.C. Hazelwood is on a mission to convert his liquid customers to Always Active.
“We want to upgrade our liquid customers to Sentricon to eliminate aging liquid contracts,” Hazelwood says. “With a liquid renewal, the customer doesn’t see a lot of work being performed to protect their house. Sentricon gives customers a visual representation that their house is being protected from termites. We wanted to give customers something that was worth their money.”
Go-Forth, founded in 1959, became certified to sell Sentricon in 2012. Hazelwood has been training his staff on the differences between Sentricon and liquid treatments.
“We trained everyone on how Sentricon is better than everything else,” he says. “We even got the office staff involved. If the customer they’re talking with doesn’t have a damage repair warranty, they’re required to mention it. That sounds negative, but it lets them then talk about Sentricon, something positive.”
Hazelwood began making changes to his business after purchasing it from his father in 2012.
“We see (liquid?) renewal customers as a liability but Sentricon (renewal?) customers as an asset. Liquid renewals are an aging product,” he explains. “It’s like vehicles on the road, they begin to wear down and it becomes more costly to maintain than to buy a new one.”
Hazelwood has advice for businesses looking to adopt a similar business model.
“I would say price is the No. 1 thing,” he says. “We made the pricing for Sentricon really simple — this is the price for any property under 400 linear feet. We’d even add in the detached garage that wasn’t treated originally because the customer sees big value in that.
“Second, be willing to invest some money in the short run to earn more money in the long run, by providing a better quality product to your customers. The customer bought a service from us in the past and they deserve a break. That attitude is reinforced to our technicians, so it was easy for them to have the right attitude with the customers. You’re offering a better product and you believe in it.”
